John Rettig 1894 Oil Painting on Board "Harvest Dance"

Item Details

John Rettig (American; 1855 – 1932)
Harvest Dance, 1894
Oil on board
Signed and dated to lower right
Inscribed to verso
15.25’ W x 10’ H

An oil painting on board titled Harvest Dance by Cincinnati-based artist John Rettig (1855 – 1932), created in 1894. This grisaille work features a gathering of Native Americans in front of New Mexican pueblo architecture. The work is signed and dated ‘’94’ to the lower right. It is presented in an Arts & Crafts style gilt gesso wood frame. A metal plate with the title and artist’s name is affixed to the lower center. Adhered to the verso is a descriptive label from The Closson Galleries.

John Rettig studied art at the McMicken School of Design in Cincinnati, and graduated in 1881. He continued his studies at the Art Academy of Cincinnati with the highly sought-after masters Frank Duveneck and Edward Henry Potthast, before studying and living in Europe. Rettig was the president of the Cincinnati Art Club from 1890 to 1892 and again from 1908 to 1910. He also worked as an artist for Rookwood Pottery with his younger brother and colleague, Martin Rettig. Rettig’s paintings are represented in private and public collections around the world, and have been exhibited by numerous institutions including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, among others. Additionally, the artist and his painting of the Crucifixion received major acknowledgment in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Deadeye Dick (1982).

Condition

- some wear to frame includes scratches, stains, and finish loss scattered throughout.

Dimensions

- measurement of frame; visible image measures approximately 15.25" W x 10" H.

Item #

18DCC200-716